


There's not a star in heaven/That we can't reach

by the_nerd_youre_looking_for



Series: TMA Fantasy Week [3]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Wings, Childhood Friends, Fluff, Flying, Friendship, Gen, TMA Fantasy Week, Trans Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Trans Tim Stoker (The Magnus Archives), i add these tags so no one thinks theyre cis ever, tim has wings and gives jon heart attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 21:26:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29972508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_nerd_youre_looking_for/pseuds/the_nerd_youre_looking_for
Summary: Jon had been fussing over Tim almost since they met. It isn't like he could help it. Tim was the first winged man he'd met, and the only one who insisted on flinging himself off trees and rooftops like it was nothing.Prompt: Wings
Relationships: Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist & Tim Stoker, Sasha James & Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist & Tim Stoker
Series: TMA Fantasy Week [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2201430
Comments: 1
Kudos: 29





	There's not a star in heaven/That we can't reach

**Author's Note:**

> Is the title from Breaking Free from High School Musical? Yes. I am not ashamed of this.

"Tim!" Jon crossed his arms, glaring at his friend crouching on the treetops. "Get down from there!" 

Even from how high up he was, Jon could see the smile spreading across Tim's face. "Get down? I'm on it, Ma." 

"Wait, Tim, you know what I-"

Before Jon could finish his sentence, Tim let out a loud cheer and let himself fall backwards off the branch he'd been perched on. He fell for a moment, before his wings extended and he twisted to face forward, gliding down to the ground. He bowed, as if he'd just put on some sort of show.

"You're going to kill me." Jon let out his breath, trying to calm his heart rate. "This is _not_ what I was planning on when you invited me out for a hike."

"Aw, c'mon." Tim punched Jon lightly on the shoulder (which still hurt). "I've been doing this my whole life. It's not anything new. I don't know why you have a stroke every time." 

Jon just crossed his arms and huffed, deciding to save his breath for the hiking. To be honest, he wasn't sure why he got so anxious every time Tim decided to leap off some tree or roof or, on one memorable occasion, a cliff. He had wings, he was fine. It was probably due to the fact that Jon did _not_ have wings and he, apparently stupidly, assumed the laws of gravity worked the same on everybody. So sue him for it. 

______

The pair of them had been friends since they were little. Jon had been fascinated with Tim's wings then, still covered in baby down and not much use for anything besides a few seconds of hovering.

"How come I don't have wings?" He'd asked his grandmother that night.

"You don't have the genetics for it." Was the answer she'd given. Jon had needled her with questions about that for ages (how was she sure, maybe his great-great-great-great-great-grandma had had wings, was there a way to get those genetics) but she'd told him to stop bothering her and go to bed. 

Needless to say, Jon had been disappointed. It was a bit silly to be jealous over those things, but he couldn't help it. It had seemed very unfair to his eight-year-old self that his friend got to fly and he didn't. He had made up his mind to read all he could about it and somehow get himself to have wings of his own. 

______

Sasha opened the door to her flat and pulled the two of them into a tight hug. "My boys are back! You've left me on my own for so long, I thought you had died." 

"It's been two days, Sasha." Jon grumbled, but he didn't do anything to get out of her grasp. She gave good hugs. "Your boy-toy here is a health hazard."

"Oh, that's what I am now!" Came Tim's indignant cry, wiggling his way out of Sasha's arms. "Just a boy-toy! Sash, we have had _years_ of romantic tension, and this is all I am reduced to. My heart is breaking." 

"Oh, shut up you big drama queen." Sasha let them all in and shut the door behind them. "I'll get started on some tea. What's he done this time, Jon?" 

Sasha's flat was comfortably crowded, stuffed to the gills with potted plants and bookshelves. The light refracted through her hanging crystals and shone little rainbows onto the walls. "He's trying to kill me." Jon said as he sat down on the couch. "He keeps jumping off things and it's about to be the end of me."

Tim flopped down next to him with a dramatic sigh. "Sorry I like to fly. I'm so sorry for following what's in my blood. I shall lead a life of misery on the ground to keep you happy, my dear Jonny boy."

Sasha snorted and wedged herself in between them. "Jon can't help having anxiety. Besides, remember that time you broke your arm?"

"It was literally three years ago! It wasn't that bad! Don't you turn on me too. I don't need another mom." 

"You do. You're a menace." Jon stood up when the kettle whistled, ignoring Sasha's protests. "Anyway, what were we thinking for movie night?"

"Well, it's Tim's turn for movies. I'm on snack duty and you get to pick takeout." Sasha joined Jon in the kitchen and pulled a small plate with a small assortment of ice cream mochi. "Picked these up after work." 

"Do you have Princess Mononoke?" Tim asked, already flipping through Sasha's collections of DVDs. "If you don't, we have to break up."

"Yeah, it should be in there. I knew you'd pick Ghibli, you fucking loser." Sasha stuck the mochi on the table and then helped Jon bring everything for tea over. "Jon, what's dinner?"

"E Pellicci? I like the lasagna there."

And with that, they settled into their every-other-Saturday-night movie night routine. It was easy and comfortable, and Jon let himself relax.

______

Jon started to lose his envy for Tim's wings when he rode in a plane for the first time.

His grandmother was going to visit some family in Saudi Arabia for a wedding, and she'd insisted on taking Jon along, even though he hadn't really wanted to go and she was making him wear a stupid dress and pinchy shoes. Obviously, she couldn't leave a twelve year old home alone while she was in another country, but he'd made his complaints known anyways. 

Being in the airport was fine. Boarding the plane was fine. But it was taking off that really did it for him. He'd gripped his armrests until his knuckles went white when the plane started to pick up speed. Staring out the window and seeing the city and cars and trees vanish beneath the clouds made him dizzy. They hit a couple of spots of turbulence and Jon had clung to his grandmother's arm, certain the airplane was falling to pieces and they would all plunge to their fiery deaths in the ocean. In hindsight, maybe he shouldn't have looked into airplane crashes when he knew he'd be flying in one, but it was scary nonetheless. It was a relief to land and finally be back on the ground.

He wondered how Tim did it, running and jumping into the air, just like it was nothing. Wasn't he afraid to fall? He did, very often, as he was getting used to his wings growing and molting and having more control over it. It never seemed to bother him. Jon wondered if one day he'd fly up as high as the planes, and then stopped because that made him think about Tim falling from that high up which gave him a stomach cramp. 

The wedding was nice enough, even though he had to wear a stupid outfit and he didn't really know anyone there. But he much preferred it to the day they boarded the plane again to get back home. 

______

"D'you ever wanna fly?"

Jon glanced quizzically over at Tim. They were standing on the roof of their apartment complex because they'd been bored and Tim suggested watching the sun set. It had actually been rather peaceful until this. "Not really, no. Why do you ask?"

Tim shrugged, which made his wings shift. Usually he kept them tucked against his back, and you'd hardly pay them any mind once you were used to them. They were mottled grays and browns and when the sun hit the feathers right, they looked like they were glowing. "Dunno. You know I've flown Sasha around. Used to with Danny when he was smaller and couldn't fly himself. Just thought it might be a bit fun."

Jon shook his head and drummed his fingers on the ledge of the short wall around the ledge. "I used to want wings too, when I was younger. When we first met and all, I was very much jealous." He chuckled at the memory. "But then I got in a plane and discovered heights were the worst." 

"I get you. I think I'm just used to it. But if you ever wanted to give it a go, I could carry you. You weight like, nothing."

"Can't ferry Danny around anymore, I'll bet."

"Are you kidding me? The man's wingspan is like, as long as I am. He's too big now, it's terrible."

Jon snorted and kicked a pebble at Tim. A part of him wanted to take Tim up on his offer. The other part was fixated on fiery plane crashes (even though he continually reminded himself that most people survived plane crashes) and falling and breaking bones. Jon trusted Tim, though. As much as the man's tendencies gave him anxiety, there was still a part of him that was envious of the ease in which he took to the sky. How free fall wasn't an issue, just a precursor to flight. If he had wings of his own, maybe falling wouldn't scare him as much. 

"Let's go for it then." Jon found himself saying, before he really thought about it. 

Tim looked startled. "Like...now? You want me to fly you?" 

Jon shrugged, pulling his jacket tighter around him. "Why not? I'd like to, I think, and if I wait I'll just worry myself out of it." 

"Like always. Alright, let's get us situated." Tim pulled himself onto the wall separating them from the solid concrete of the roof and the open air. Then Tim held out a hand, and Jon took it, climbing up beside him.

"Gotta just scoop you up, like this..." Tim put one arm around Jon's shoulders and another behind his knee and picked him up bridal style. Jon tried to focus on the reality of Tim and not the space beneath them as he heard Tim open his wings. "You sure about this?"

"Yeah. Just go for it." Jon nodded. If he thought about it, he'd worry himself out of it and he _really_ didn't want to. 

So, he shut his eyes as he heard Tim take one step, and then jump. He clung to Tim's shirt and ignored the sensation of falling and the wind rushing past them, and then...

"We're all good, Jonny, you can open up now. Wasn't gonna spook you with any of my epic and sexy tricks this time."

Jon opened his eyes and he felt a little dizzy, but not really in a bad way. He felt weightless, floating above the city streets like that. The constant beating of Tim's wings was soothing, and when he looked down at the cars below him, he couldn't help letting out a breathless laugh. "It's...wow."

"Yeah, it'll do that to you." Tim was smiling, the joy in his eyes visible even in the growing dark. "We'll stay up a minute, then let's go back." 

Jon almost didn't want to go back. Tim did a little circle of their building, joking that they ought to just fly in Sasha's window for movie nights from now on. And when Jon finally touched the solid ground again, he was already thinking of the next time he'd be able to fly.

**Author's Note:**

> You know that scene in Howl's Moving Castle where Howl snags Sophie and holds her and they float around a bit? That was sort of the position I wanted them in but decided it was a little inconvenient. 
> 
> Technically this is all platonic but read it as you want idc
> 
> Curing ur homies fear of heights w/the power of trust and friendship


End file.
